Its Summer Time Again – Kinda

Well its Summer time again, or at least that’s what they are saying, so what does that mean? Time to clean out your PC of dust bunnies. With the warmer temperatures, your computer will run a little warmer. Dust can clog the fan and ventilation flow, this can amplify the impact of higher external temperature on the internal components. Any electronic device has an operating temperature range. If this is exceeded, what it does is undefined. It just gets lost and hangs or crashes.

An example of what can happen reminds me of a support call I recently received. The PC in question is used remotely, by a user not in the office. The PC does not have a monitor attached to it. The user tried logging into the PC and could not. It was shutdown due to an overheating condition. Unfortunately, the overheating was a little too much for this older PC. We could save the CPU but not other parts of the motherboard.. Imagine if this were a Server. Not a pretty picture if you ask me.

This PC could have had a longer life if it was cleaned out of dust bunnies with compressed air at least once. From what I was told, this was never done. All it takes is about 10 minutes and a can of compressed air to help your PC last through summer no matter where you reside. Remember, do not use a vacuum it could suck up important pieces like jumper covers that you may never know existed. Definitely do not use an air compressor. The condensation that builds up could cause other electrical issues.

I remember an incident that another tech experienced with a customer who owned a factory. The customer decided to save time on cleaning his server. He took the case off and walked into the factory to use the air hose that cleans motors. There was a loud air flow sound. He came back pleased with himself and put the case back on. When he hit the power button nothing happened. He had blown several jumpers off on the factory floor. We had no idea what was missing,, where they had landed, and how to add the jumpers back. It was an old clone with limited documentation. Don’t repeat that mistake at you premise.

If you need help cleaning your PC, give the CCS Retail Support Department a call at 800-672-4806 or email us for an appointment.